My wife and I went to a flooring store today and discovered that we really like a Mannington laminate - that matches our cabinets very well.

It's "Canyon Slate, color number 24200C, Modular Stone," and it's from "The Traditional Collection."

Specs:

Planks are 5/16 thick x 7-7/16 width x 50-3/8 length.

Approximate coverage per box is 4'x5' (20.83 sq. ft.)

25-year warranty

A few questions:

1. I think that the local store will not have the most competive price, but what's a good way to compare apples with apples, price-wise. (Any good, reputable online retailers out there? I'm new at this.)

2. I'm planning on doing the work myself, with some help from my father-in-law, who is quite a handy man. How easy is it to cut this stuff, and what should I cut it with? I have a table saw, but I noticed that I'll have to cut some pieces around some door mouldings, which have a finely "notched" or "layered" pattern that would require some very fine cutting, probably requiring a template. (I'm not that handy.)

3. Is there a better laminate out there for compared with this Mannington laminate? (I'm afraid that I'll buy this and then find out that Armstrong, for instance, has a better and cheaper laminate.

Thanks in advance for your help. I really need it.

- k